About
The Buzz Story
Hi. I'm Corey. Buzz Coffee all started in the breakroom at Whole Foods. I would spend my time on break thinking about my next move and starting a coffee business was something I was really excited about. My idea was to build a coffee cart and sell iced coffee out of it during the summer months in Maine. After a few days of thinking about I could make this a reality, I realized I would need some help. I told my co-worker Christopher Weis (manager at the time, lolol) about the coffee cart idea and he was stoked about it. He wanted in, so we started planning everything in more detail that day. It took us over a year to build the cart ~ we planned on launching in the summer of 2020 but we didn't have a ton of money to finish the build so we kept working on it throughout the winter and finally got it going in the spring of 2021. That summer was a blast and one that I will cherish forever. We made so many meaningful connections with the community and sold more cups of coffee than I can count.
Once summer starting coming to an end, the inevitable Maine winter starting looming over me like a black cloud. Christopher was going back to school for oceanography, but I wanted to keep the fun going. I knew it wasn't realistic to run the coffee cart during the winter nor did I want to stand out in the cold selling coffee, so I started entertaining the idea of opening a physical location. I started looking online for a space and saw a listing for basement spot on Exchange St in Portland. The space needed a lot of work, but it felt right so I jumped on it. From September through December, I spent my time building out the shop ~ new floors, new bars, ordering / installing equipment, lots of painting, having a little creative fun with it. I opened the doors at the end of December 2021 and have been at it since.
Being in a physical location has brought it's own set of unique challenges, but I'm proud of where things are at and excited for the future of Buzz Coffee. My focus? Serve incredible coffee and build a community through positivity, genuine connection, and partnerships with local makers / businesses. If you ever find yourself wandering through the Old Port, come on down the stairs to escape reality for a bit with a good cup of coffee.